Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 16, 2014

You course correct. If you hire truly talented people you end up definitionally with a lot of competitive peers who will inevitably jockey for resources and control. Extremely talented people are ultra competitive. Marketing of course often feels the opposite. Adjudication is about resolving intractable disputes.

Entrepreneur 385

Entrepreneur CTO Hire Startup Sales 385

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2020

Most of the time, I’m all about providing encouragement and inspiration to entrepreneurs. They need it and they deserve it, because entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of our economy. The question of defensibility is one of the toughest for an entrepreneur to answer. It’s not going to get better – it already is.

Entrepreneur 174

Entrepreneur Sample Guide Ideas 174

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

My friend Michael Broukhim, founder & co-CEO of FabFitFun and I recently had a catch-up meeting for 3-miles on the Santa Monica “Bird Trail” No company has ever elicited so many questions by friends, colleagues, entrepreneurs, fellow VCs and journalists as has Bird, the company that pioneered the electronic scooter as a service market.

Santa Monica 256

Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2019

Most entrepreneurs are quick to assert to potential investors that their product or solution will kill the competition, but unfortunately your opinion alone is not enough to convince most experienced investors. Of course, we all know there are no guarantees, and we like your passion and commitment to future results.

Competition 86

Competition Patents Startup Customer 86

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2019

It happens on the front end for startups to get traction, and then again later for every company as the economy, competition, and culture changes around them. In all cases, it’s more effective and less painful to do it as a planned process, rather than a crash course in survival. Reinvent the vision for change.

Course 85

Course IBM IBM Social Media 85

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 7, 2019

Thus, in my consulting with entrepreneurs, I always encourage them to get more comfortable asking for help. She suspects, like me, that no self-respecting entrepreneur wants to seem weak, needy, or incompetent, and none of us like to feel indebted to someone we see as a peer or a competitor.

Help 123

Help Entrepreneur Course IBM 123

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

The sweeping infrastructure package put forward today by President Joe Biden comes with a price tag of roughly $2 trillion (and hefty tax hikes) but gives startups and the broader tech industry about $1 trillion worth of reasons to support it. What excites me about this space is that there’s so much low-hanging fruit.

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2021

Anyone who works with entrepreneurs will tell you that all are different. These are the ultimate chess players in the game of business, always looking to be two or three moves ahead of the competition. The Opportunist is the speculative part of the entrepreneur in all of us. But none have any lock on success. Opportunist.

Entrepreneur 134

Entrepreneur Framework Mentor Web 134

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

We have global opportunities from these trends but of course also big challenges. Of course we can’t. And the truth is that several entrepreneurs prefer it this way. So in our earliest stages we’re about 70% seed and 30% pre-seed. We also have a world that is, as Thomas Friedman so elegantly put it?—?“ dot-com bonanza.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

leadership, mentorship, competitiveness, communications, relationship-building?—?and and of course a relentless pursuit of helping founders succeed. I called an (ex) LP to tell him about her and my goals for her. Leadership is about recognizing your next generation of talent and helping lift them up.

Venture Capital 361

Venture Capital Startup Invest CitySearch 361

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2015

Yesterday I saw two biopic films: “ Amy ” about the life of Jazz sensation Amy Winehouse who died of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 and “ Montage of Heck ” about the life of Kurt Cobain , the grunge-rock generational voice who died of an overdose of heroin and valium at the age of … 27.

Press 150

Press Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

When Ethan was considering leaving Google we talked about it. In the same year they won Business Insider’s Startup competition. And I had been telling my partners for a couple of years that I thought Ethan was one of the more talented entrepreneurs I had come across in San Francisco. What do we like about OpenTable?

CTO Coach 359

CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2014

In their passion and excitement about a new product or service, entrepreneurs tend to continually narrow the scope of potential competitors, and often claim to have no direct competitors. Competition for your new hydrogen fuel auto engine is not limited to other hydrogen auto engine offerings, or even other autos.

Competition 93

Competition Startup Patents Slides 93

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

In their passion and excitement about a new product or service, entrepreneurs tend to continually narrow the scope of potential competitors, and often claim to have no direct competitors. Competition for your new hydrogen fuel auto engine is not limited to other hydrogen auto engine offerings, or even other autos.

Competition 166

Competition Funding Startup Patents 166

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 3, 2012

The popular view of a real entrepreneur is someone with a big vision, and a stubborn determination to charge straight ahead through any obstacle and make it happen. His popular book on this subject, “ The Lean Startup ,” lays out how today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses.

Course 109

Course Startup Platform Entrepreneur 109

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

It really is possible for an introvert to succeed as an entrepreneur, even though you can’t expect to start and build a business alone. You need to build business relationships with partners, team members, investors, and of course customers. Asking someone to be your mentor is not a sign of weakness, and most mentors love to help.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Mentor Activity Startup 104

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2023

Entrepreneurs seem to have blinders on when looking at competitors. The information exchange from day-to-day interactions of engineers and marketers will drive you enhance your own processes to be more competitive. No entrepreneur has all the insights they need, and none should be so arrogant as to assume they hold all the cards.

Startup 105

Startup Outsource Competition Entrepreneur 105

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2023

As a business advisor and advocate for entrepreneurs, I find myself almost always talking and writing about change. Yet there are many things about business and work that haven’t changed for a long time, and don’t need to change anytime soon. This is not about clocking in to work. Anything less makes you non-competitive.

Startup 106

Startup Writing Entrepreneur Screening 106

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2022

Every new entrepreneur who has not spent years in corporate life has the advantage of an unbiased look at business opportunities, but at the same time has the disadvantage of missing critical business experiences that can cost them dearly in their first startup venture. Startups don’t come with formal training courses.

Training 117

Training Entrepreneur IBM IBM 117

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

More entrepreneurs want to be socially responsible these days, but fear a negative impact on profits, growth, and the ability to find an investor. Of course, investors still require a profitable business model, and the potential for high returns. Startups can use social responsibility as a competitive advantage.

Startup 149

Startup Organization Customer Custom 149

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2019

Traditionally, the majority of entrepreneurs have been logical thinkers, problem solvers, with full attention to details. Of course, the best solution would be a new wave of so-called whole-brain thinkers, but this term is usually reserved for Einstein and Picasso, and no entrepreneurs that I can name.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Tips Guide Social Media 96

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2012

One of the toughest and yet most important questions you will be asked by savvy potential startup investors is “What is your sustainable competitive advantage?” Yet many entrepreneurs, maybe in their passion for their new product, gloss over this one, or even announce that they have no competition.

Competition 97

Competition Patents Startup Social Network 97

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

As an advisor to many entrepreneurs, I still hear frequently the irrational exuberance that crowdfunding is the quick alternative for startups that are passed over by overly demanding angels or venture capital investors. Of course, if the campaign does not meet or exceed the funding objective, you get nothing. Marty Zwilling

Startup 100

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Demand 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 6, 2018

The best entrepreneurs in our industry focus on it year-round as opposed to just once every 18 months. Lemons ripen early The hardest thing about fund raising is how dispiriting it can be. But if there is nothing wrong with you then please don’t let early rejections alter your course. Below is the outline Upfront.

Funding 236

Funding Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 236

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 14, 2011

One of the toughest and yet most important questions you will be asked by savvy potential startup investors is “What is your sustainable competitive advantage?” Yet many entrepreneurs, maybe in their passion for their new product, gloss over this one, or even announce that they have no competition.

Competition 102

Competition Patents Startup Social Network 102

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2023

If you sold your last startup for $800 million, you probably already know how to build a business, and even conservative investors won’t worry about the quality of your next business plan. An entrepreneur who can’t manage a plan, probably won’t be able to manage the new business.

Startup 102

Startup Writing Mentor Sample 102

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2021

Most entrepreneurs expect to face the “normal” challenges of starting a business, which include finding the right opportunity, building and executing a winning plan, and financing their venture. Yet before you start, you should think about what the impact might be on your psyche, and how to neutralize these challenges in your own plan.

Startup 152

Startup Training Entrepreneur Course 152

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

Email users, continue here… ] That is the quandary which entrepreneurs face today in building models for new companies around a web presence. And yet, users rave about the service, and spend long durations of time on the site. How about charging by the bite (not byte)? Bringing us to today – Viewers or profit?

Metrics 296

Metrics Sites Advertising Web 296

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 10, 2013

It’s only 12 minutes long and if you’re a first-time entrepreneur (or second time, frankly) I encourage you to watch it if for nothing else than to get a sense that your struggles are universal. TechCrunch interviewed me and asked me to talk about failure. So I spoke for 12 minutes about my own failures.

Startup 412

Startup Press Course Entrepreneur 412

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2023

I recommend that every entrepreneur and small business investigate and implement as many as possible of his seven new business force multipliers that I will paraphrase here: Information sharing through social media networks. Advocates talk about you and become influencers to the many who are undecided.

Social Media 106

Social Media Software Review Course Networking 106

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 7, 2021

These things change so fast these days that the primary role of the entrepreneur as CEO is to be the Master of Realignment. The basic alignment framework of strategy, customers, people, and processes hasn’t changed, but the pace of technological, competitive, and social change has increased at an amazing rate.

Social Media 143

Social Media Startup Framework Course 143

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2013

Many believe that entrepreneurs are born, not made. While I agree that successful company builders usually have a natural inclination to be entrepreneurs, a good education helps polish that apple. Of course, there's no law saying you have to go to college to start a business. Supplement course work with practical experience.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Startup Course Education 105

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

As a business advisor and advocate for entrepreneurs, I find myself almost always talking and writing about change. Yet there are many things about business and work that haven’t changed for a long time, and don’t need to change anytime soon. This is not about clocking in to work. Anything less makes you non-competitive.

Startup 153

Startup Writing Entrepreneur Screening 153

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 4, 2014

In fact, for the past 27-years, he has specialized in bringing exotic travel destinations to those of us who are healthy and active but whose competitive sporting days are long behind us. Ever fantasized about climbing Mt. How about hiking in Patagonia without carrying a 60-pound backpack and eating freeze dried food?

Entrepreneur 187

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Resource 187

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2022

It happens on the front end for startups to get traction, and then again later for every company as the economy, competition, and culture changes around them. In all cases, it’s more effective and less painful to do it as a planned process, rather than a crash course in survival. Reinvent the vision for change.

Course 127

Course IBM IBM Social Media 127

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2021

Most experts agree that leadership, as perceived by people around you, is more about behavior than it is about specific skills or knowledge. Worry and fret about everything. Precious little of what we worry and fret about ever happens, so don’t share every concern with associates. Complain about being overwhelmed.

Examples 136

Examples Organization Startup Course 136

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 25, 2013

Yet there will be some entrepreneurs can’t seem to make the decision to take a break. They forget that they probably became entrepreneurs, according to the recent DNA of an Entrepreneur study, for just this flexibility. Other studies show that only about 30% list money as a key benefit of running their own firm.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Satisfaction Study 101